Friday, August 31, 2012

Today is the last day of the Summer Devotions Pursuit - and we hope it will be just the start to a lifetime of seeking Jesus!

Every day we need Jesus. His Word is the food for our souls. Time with Him draws us closer to His heart and makes us more like Him. It is a beautiful lifetime journey of walking with and growing in Jesus!

He is calling you to Himself afresh today.
He has infinite things in His heart to reveal to you about Himself and
His Truth. He wants to make this verse real in your life again today, "For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things." Psalm 107:9 Will you daily receive His grace to respond? As you do, your walk with Him will continue to grow - and so will your joy in Him!

Congratulations to those of you who completed the Summer Pursuit - please be sure to send in your charts by September 6th
and we will gladly mail you your reward! Below is a testimony from a
young woman who took part in the Summer Pursuit and found the joy of
meeting with Jesus! Please stay posted here on the blog for more encouraging testimonies to come!

May the Lord bless you all as you continue to seek Him and find Him to be what your heart is longing for!

"I
am so thankful that I participated in the 2012 Summer Pursuit! What a
blessing to have a daily accountability to do what I desire most deeply-
to spend time with the Lord! Sometimes in life, I get so busy. But this
summer, through the encouragement of Loving the Lord Ministries'
challenge, by the grace of God, I was able to set aside a daily time to
pray and meditate on Scripture, as well as commit much to memory. I am
looking forward to continuing to practice my new habits as I seek the
Lord first an foremost! Sweet are the memories of the past summer, spent
in precious time with the Lord!" ~ Rachel, Washington

Monday, August 20, 2012

Last
night I returned home from some time away camping with my family.The time was filled with family fellowship,
outdoor activities, working on writing the book, reading, campfires, and more.A very precious part of the time away
were my times of stillness sitting by the water and listening to Jesus.As I sat on the beach, gazing out at His
creation and listening to Him, the noise and business of the world settled and
what really matters came into focus so clearly.

These are the truths that are ringing afresh in my heart:
~ Jesus is what matters and the only place we will find true satisfaction.
~ His Word is the food our souls crave and is Truth that we can confidently
base our life upon.
~ Time in His presence transforms our hearts and gives us the right perspective
on everything.
~ Nothing is worth allowing in our lives that will hinder us from growing
closer to Jesus.

These truths are so rich, powerful, and real.They are meant to shape and be the heartbeat of our daily lives.I find over and over that this requires daily
receiving the Lord’s grace to remember them, live them out, and reject what
will pull us away from our Jesus.We all
constantly need to remember them.

As the Lord spoke to me, refreshed me in His presence, and convicted my heart,
He showed me ways to respond to these things.It included:
~ Seeking to let Jesus have 1st place in my heart at all times
.This includes: daily meeting with
Jesus, walking through my day with Him, and looking to Him to meet all of my
needs.
~ Soaking myself in His Word.Some ways
I do this: reading my Bible, memorizing verses, listening to the Bible on audio,
and grabbing glimpses at my Bible throughout the day.
~ Setting aside special times with Him.This
is my daily devotions, as well as other times through the day when I can pause
and meet with Him (in addition to walking with Him through the day).
~ Addressing the things that I feel hinder my sensitivity to Him or draw me
away from Him.Practically, one of the
things that I realized that was threatening a growing sensitivity to the Lord’s
voice was time spent on the computer.This
has meant setting more serious boundaries for my computer time - Nothing is
worth hindering my relationship with Jesus!

These are things Jesus has been teaching my heart.How needy my heart is to continually learn
from Him – how needy my heart is of JESUS!He is pursuing us, friends!(Jeremiah
31:3) He wants us to know Him, walk with Him, and experience the fullness of
joy that only His presence can bring!(Psalm
16:11)

This morning as I embraced the fullness of normal life, the Lord gave me this
precious verse, “Seek the Lord and his
strength; seek his presence continually!”Psalm 105:4

Together let’s seek our Lord and His presence continually – allowing nothing to
hinder us – and we will discover the joy that results from seeking what matters
most!

Seeking Jesus with you,

Amy Vest

P.S.
Here is a picture of me in the hammock in the middle of talking with Jesus and treasuring
the Word…I am so glad that we are able
to seek Him together this summer!

"My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness." 2 Cor. 12:9 The Lord has really brought this verse to life
in a new way in my life this Summer. He has asked me to go through some
trying things recently, and just when I think I can't go even one more
step, He gives me the grace to go two. Just when I feel all alone, He
reminds me in a sweet way that He will always be there for me! Just
when I feel weak, He gives me strength! He knows just what we need,
right when we need it! He is SO faithful! ~Isabella

I
have been so blessed to see my little six year old sister spending time
with Jesus every day all on her own! Once she found my sister and I
were doing the Summer Pursuit that Loving the Lord ministries is doing
for girls, she asked with excitement, "Can I do it too?" Ever since she
started this she's been having devotions all on her own!...every day! You are NEVER too young to start seeking Jesus! He will always be found of them that seek Him! (Jeremiah 29:13)

Monday, August 13, 2012

You are invited to join us for a special time of encouragement
in personally discovering the fulfillment of a relationship with
Christ, the power of basing your life on the Truth of His Word, and the
joy of living a life that is beautiful to Him!

Topics covered include:
~ Loving Jesus as Your Best Friend
~ The Heart of Real Friendship
~ The Importance of Inner Beauty
~ Finding Your Identity in Christ
~ The Influence of Your Thoughts and Attitude
~ The Power of a Pure Heart
~ The Impact of a Life that Is Beautiful to God
… and more!